Dear all' We have discussed this before (Ad nauseum to some), but here goes. I reported earlier about the drought and heat in my Kansas City garden. I've had a handful of Lycoris flower stalks. We have also speculated about the immediate effects of rain on stalk production. 2 days ago we had 1.3 in of rain after weeks of drought. One Lycoris bed went from 3 substandard stalks to over 25 stalks. Another went from 0 stalks to over a dozen and now stalks are appearing in every bed. Maybe a total of under a dozen stalks to over 100 stalks. These are primarily the earlier species - L. squamigera, L. chinensis and L. longituba. A few buds have also appeared in L. caldwellii and L. sprengeri, but these are usually a week or so later than the earlier bloomers. I am firmly convinced that rain does immediately influence flowering on these species and delayed rains are directly related to delayed flowering. Convinced. Now I see the obvious. Duh! Best Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +